The Heart of Anubis
by XxNimith531xX
Summary: Alice Kaiba never thought she had a destiny. But that changes when her life is turned upside down by a fellow classmate named Yugi Motou. Introduced to ancient magic, evil prophecies and mystical items - can she cope?  Yugi/OC1 Pharaoh/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello! So, basically, I finished my other Yugioh story "Desert Rose" and now I've decided to do a trial run for this other idea floating around in my head. So, I'm going to post the first two chapters and based on the response I get, I will then decide whether or not it's worth continuing. Just throwing that out there – thanks!**

Chapter One

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Gugh..." a whine was heard beneath a tangle of bed sheets and pillows. A slender hand ungracefully began to feel around for the alarm clock, and in the process managed to knock over a variety of items. Finally, her fingers flicked the switch of the alarm. Silence enveloped the room. The girl didn't move from beneath her warm covers.

A crash was heard somewhere outside of her sanctuary and the methodical sound of running footsteps soon followed. Her bedroom door flew open and the sunlight from the hallway burst inside, making her flinch. She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head.

"You're _still_asleep? Ugh, wake up, Alice!" the boy tugged and nudged at his older sister. A mop of startling red hair emerged from beneath the blanket.

"Go away, Mokuba," Alice grumbled.

"You're not staying home again, are you? Don't make me call Seto." The younger boy warned.

"You wouldn't. Now go away." She blinked wearily at her digital alarm. Seven o'clock on the dot.

Mokuba sucked in a deep breath and prepared his infamous tattletale yell for their oldest brother. "SET-"

"Okay, okay! I'm up. Shut up!" She shot up and clamped her hands over his mouth, effectively silencing the shriek.

But it was too late.

"Alice, what did you do to Mokuba now?" came the eldest of the Kaiba siblings' voice. Seto walked into the room, buttoning up his uniform jacket with his suitcase on the floor at his feet. He had a disapproving aura about him.

"Nothing," Alice muttered, folding her arms over her covers.

"Then why did he shout for me?" Seto asked, looking to Mokuba.

"She was gonna skip class again!" Mokuba virtually finger-pointed at his older sister.

Seto sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Alice..." His voice sounded strained and Alice grimaced. She hated feeling like a child, but oftentimes Seto would assume that fatherly persona which put Alice to shame. Granted, she did ask for it most of the time.

"Was not," she grumbled.

"Alice, you know you can't miss anymore classes. How many times have your teachers warned you about being held back?" Seto asked sternly.

"I'm going! Sheesh, don't let the world end or anything." She pushed off her covers and shoved her brothers out of her room. "Go away so I can change!"

Alice went to her nightstand and picked up the various items she had knocked over in her failed attempt to quiet her alarm. The first were her thick-rimmed glasses. She slid them over her face and pushed them up the bridge of her nose. She blinked her blue eyes - _Kaiba blue_, she had always been told. Her brother and her had always shared the same bright blue, sometimes icy blue, eye color. She sighed. Then she picked up the second item. It was a picture of the three Kaiba children taken while they were still at the orphanage. Alice smiled despite herself. There she was, in the middle of her brothers where she had always belonged, in linked arms. Seto was at one side, smiling the smallest smile he could muster. Alice had to laugh. That was Seto. Never cracked a grin, that boy. And then there was her sweet Mokuba at the other side, clinging to her with a wide smile, showing all of his teeth. She loved them more than anyone and vowed never to let a bad thing happen to them. She replaced the framed photo and yawned. _Time to go to hell,_ she mused darkly.

Alice didn't hate school, nor did she hate waking up early to go to school. What she _did_ hate, however, were the bullies. Ever since she was just a child, she had a bully problem. Seto had taken care of it then, and she knew that if she told him, he would do something about it now. But she was nearly sixteen, for Christ's sake, and had to learn how to handle things herself. No, she wouldn't bother her brother with her problems. Alice went to her closet and pulled out her pink and blue school uniform and pulled it on before brushing her long red hair. She pulled half of it up into a slight ponytail and left the rest to hang past her shoulders and down her back.

"Alice, come on!" Mokuba's voice rang from downstairs. Alice gave herself a once over in the mirror before deeming herself worthy to go out into civilization.

She hopped down the steps to stairs at a time, making sure not to bump into the maid on the way. She rushed into the kitchens, grabbed an apple, and met her brothers at the door. "Ready!" she said happily.

"Good, come on. Roland's waiting," Seto said as he led them out into the driveway where their black limousine sat. Roland was standing beside it, waiting for the siblings.

"Good morning Mister Kaiba, Miss Kaiba, and Mister Kaiba!" Roland greeted, fixing his sunglasses. Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Never, not once since she met the man, had she seen what his eyes looked like. When she was younger, she would jump out and try to startle him when he was unawares, just to see if he'd take of his sunglasses. He even wore them indoors! It astounded her as a child...and even more so now as a teenager.

"Roland," Alice said, looking up at the gray sky, "The sun isn't out. Why are you wearing those?"

He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. He opened the door for the Kaibas and as Alice approached, he said. "Nice try."

She pouted and stuck out her tongue at him before sitting down beside Seto. Mokuba sat on the other end, nearest the door so he could get out easily when they made their first stop at his school.

"Bye!" the boy waved, shutting the door behind him.

"Behave!" Alice said through the open window. She gave him a pointed stare over the rims of her glasses. Mokuba only rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

Alice scoffed. "The manners on that boy..."

"He's no worse than you are," Seto said, sparing her a glance up from the book he was reading.

She faked offense. "Oh, the nerve." She nudged his leg with her toe. "Jerk."

He gave her a dry stare before looking back down at his book, though his small smirk wasn't uncaught. She grinned to herself and looked out of the window, watching the houses pass as they drove. Soon enough, they were pulling up outside their school.

"Bye Roland!" Alice called, waving at the car.

"Come on, we'll be late." Seto led them to the homeroom they shared after stopping at their lockers. They were placed next to each other, since alphabetically they shared the same letterand name. They sat next to each other near the back of the class, keeping to themselves as the other students straggled in just in time before the bell tolled.

Alice glanced at her older brother. He sat quietly, nose successfully submerged into his book. She huffed and tapped her pencil tip on the desk to a tune in her head. _Bored..._was the only coherent thought she could produce among the inane babble from the teacher as he lectured. Alice rolled her eyes. She, like Seto, had been a gifted child when it came to academics. While the teacher was lecturing about the muscular system of the body, Alice was two chapters ahead reading about the limbic system. Homeroom stunk. But it was a blessing in disguise since she and Seto were in the same class. He being a couple years older than her and ready to graduate to take on full responsibility of Kaiba Corp, would naturally have higher level classes. She pouted. After this year, she didn't know what she'd do without him. His presence and his presence alone was the only reason why the bullies were kept at bay. She cast a nervous glance to the front of the classroom where a group of loud girls sat around a beautiful blonde with luscious curly locks. Her name was Nadeen Fitzgerald and she was the bane of Alice's existence.

Alice wasn't too sure what the reason was of why Nadeen hated her so much. Over the couple of years she knew Nadeen, Alice had plenty of time to devise reasons. Reason number one: Nadeen crushed on Seto (which was true for many of her classmates) and loathed Alice due to some sort of sense of disturbing jealousy. Reason number two: Nadeen could sense Alice's rather obvious low self-esteem and fed on it like a drug. Reason number three: Nadeen was just mean, plain and simple. Perhaps it was all of those reasons - perhaps none. Either way, after lunch when Seto left (he had special permission from the school since he ran his own company and all...) to go back to Kaiba Corp, Alice knew she was in for some new form of torture from the blonde haired, green eyed femme fatal. Nadeen caught Alice's gaze and sent her a cruel grin which sent unpleasant shivers of fear down Alice's spine. She grimaced.

Seto glanced at his sister. "You alright?"

She quickly covered and scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yup, couldn't be better. Just a chill from the window over there."

Seto eyed her suspiciously for a few seconds before shrugging and returning to his book. Alice let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Joey! Hey, earth to Joey! It's your move." Alice heard a voice say. She glanced over to another group of friends near the rear of the class, closer to her and Seto by the windows. They were playing Duel Monsters. Alice didn't even notice the bell ring as study hall began.

"Sorry, Yug. Here goes nuttin!" cried a blonde boy as he slammed a card down on the table.

The group giggled as the blonde, Joey, lost the game horrendously. Alice watched them longingly. What she would give to have friends like that. Ever since she started school here with Seto, that group had been inseparable. They even picked up a few more characters along the way, like that white-haired boy...what was his name... Bakura, she thought. Not that Alice was antisocial or rude that she couldn't hold friends for long - it was just easier to keep people away. Once they knew she was related to the great Seto Kaiba, then everything would change. They'd ask to go to the mall more often than anything and just happen to leave their wallets at home. Or they'd find other ways to leech off of her. A leech was a leech, and Alice found it to be far more simple to just stop trying. So she did.  
>"Speaking of which," came the first voice again from a boy with tri-colored hair sticking up in all sorts of directions, "My Grandpa has this super rare card he covets more than anything. Maybe he can show us after school."<p>

"Cool!"

Seto's blue eyes shifted in their direction. They narrowed. Alice glanced between her brother and the group before asking, "What is it?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Alice made a face. Fine, so that's how it'd be? She could just keep lying to him, too. "Whatevs," she muttered, doodling in the margins of her notebook.

The lunch bell rang. Alice felt her stomach drop. Seto stood and began gathering his things. She walked him outside to the front gates, where Roland was waiting by the limousine. She must've looked sick, because Seto noticed.

"You look green, Alice. Something wrong?"

She gulped and quickly shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Just hungry I guess." She smiled up at him with feigned happiness. "You go on, don't you have a corporation to run or something?"

Seto sighed deeply. "Yeah. Call me if you need anything, you know I'm never too busy to come pick you up if you need me to-"

Alice shrugged off the offer. "Yadda, yadda, I'm not a kid anymore, sheesh. Go on, Mister President of a Multi-Billion Dollar Company! Shouldn't you be firing someone right about now?"

Seto sneered at her and rolled his eyes before getting into the limo. "Seriously, Alice," he said, before shutting the door, "Call me if anything comes up."

She rolled her matching blue eyes and shut the door for him. "Goodbye!" She emphasized.

"I'll be here at 3 o'clock to pick you up, miss Alessandra," Roland said.

Alice groaned. "How many times have I told you, Roland? _Alice_, please!"

Roland smiled and nodded. "Sure, miss Kaiba." Alice rolled her eyes, knowing it was a losing battle. Roland never called her 'Alice', always 'Miss Kaiba' or, to her pure dismay 'Miss Alessandra'. She gagged. Roland laughed and got into the driver's side and drove her brother away. Alice watched the car disappear down the street until it turned a corner and vanished. She sucked in a brave breath and made her way out to the lawn where the students were permitted to eat lunch on particularly nice days.

Before Alice could even open her school bag to retrieve her lunch, Nadeen appeared, flanked by her usual crowd of bubble-gum chewing cheerleaders. Nadeen grabbed Alice's bag and threw it on the ground.

"Hey, richie-rich! What do you think you're doing at _my _lunch spot?" she yelled.

Alice felt her face grow hot. She _hated_ confrontation. "I was just walking by..."

"Were you? I didn't see much walking. Maybe you should get your glasses fixed, nerdlette!" she grabbed Alice's glasses off of her face and dangled them above her head. Nadeen would be better off being a basketball player than a cheerleader, she was so tall.

"Hey!" Alice went to grab them, but Nadeen was quicker and yanked at her red hair.

"Who said you could have them back? I didn't hear anyone say so, did you girls?"

Her posse shook their heads in unison. "Nope!"

"Come on, Nadeen, just give them back! I need them, seriously!" Alice pleaded, trying her hardest to blink away her tears as Nadeen pulled her hair harder.

"Just buy a new pair with all of your brother's money, rich girl. He an afford it, can't he?" Nadeen sneered. Before Alice could do anything to stop her, Nadeen had thrown her glasses to the ground and stomped a strong foot down. There was a horrible 'crunch' sound as the lenses shattered into the grass.

"Hey! What are you doing?" came a new voice.

"Pfft, nerd brigade. Come on, Nadeen." One of the cheerleaders said, departing with Nadeen, who dropped Alice's hair. Alice fell to her knees and gripped her aching head.

"Ow..."

"Yeah, dat's right! Keep walkin!" she heard a familiar voice accompany the other.

"Hey, are you okay?" It was a girl's voice.

Alice looked up and squinted her eyes. She was dreadfully near-sighted. She sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks," she murmured, feeling her face grow more hot. Talk about an awful day.

"Oh, man!" the Brooklyn accent said as he knelt down beside her, "Are these your glasses?"

Alice sighed. "If they've been stomped on by a blonde cheerleader...then yes, those would be mine."

"Here," a softer voice nearer to her said, taking her arm and pulling her up, "Sorry about your glasses..." he handed them to her and Alice squinted to see them. She lifted them close to inspect them. Broken was an understatement. She made a face.

"That's okay, it's not your fault. Good thing I brought my contact lenses with me." She dug into her bag and super quickly popped them in. She blinked to look up at her saviors. It was the group of friends from her homeroom who were playing Duel Monsters.

"Oh! Hello, nice to, er... see you." She said with a half-hearted smile.

"Hiya! I'm Joey Wheeler. This is Tea Gardner, Tristan Taylor, and mah best bud, Yugi Motou." the blonde said with a grin.

"Nice to meet you," Alice smiled.

"Hey," Tea had a thoughtful look on her face, "Aren't you Kaiba's sister?"

"Eww, you're related to Money Bags?" Joey made a face.

"Joey! Be nice!" the brunette, Tea, elbowed him in the ribs.

Alice sighed. Here we go again. No point in denying it at this point. "Yeah, that's me. Little sister to the great and industrious Seto Kaiba," she deadpanned.

"Does he know those girls pick on you?" Tea asked.

Alice shrugged. "What Seto doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, it's not his business, it's mine."

"_Why_ were they bullying you anyway?" the tri-colored hair one asked. Yugi, was it?

"Who knows?" Alice dug into her bag and retrieved her lunch and began to unwrap her sandwich. "Nadeen has hated me since I met her. Dunno why. Though, I do have my theories."

"Such as?" Joey asked.

Alice raised a skeptical brow. "Why do _you_ care? Don't you hate my brother or something?"

Joey sweat-dropped and laughed nervously. "Well, you're not your brother, yeah? Besides, you seem loads nicer than him."

She didn't appear convinced. "Er...thank you?"

"Why don't you sit and have lunch with us?" Yugi offered.

"Really?" Alice asked in surprise.

"Sure! The more the merrier. Besides, you always sit alone when your brother's not around. Why not make some new friends, hmm?" Tea asked with a sweet smile.

Alice blinked a few times, unsure of how or even _why_ they would take notice of her loneliness without her brother. "Um...that's a bit unexpected." Was all she could say.

"Come on," Tristan grinned. "Let's go sit under the tree."

"Coming, oh...er..." Yugi appeared abashed, "Sorry, we didn't even ask your name!"

Alice smiled. "Alice."

"Coming, Alice?" he asked.

She nodded with a wide and happy grin. "Okay!"

"So...Alice Kaiba, huh?" Tristan asked, eating his potato chips.

Alice smiled guiltily. "That's me."

"Why don't you tell your brother about those girls?" Tea asked worriedly.

Alice's shoulders slouched. She stared down at her half-eaten sandwich as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Look, all of my life my brother has looked out for me. And because of it, I'm always in his shadow. He takes care of everything in the company, he insisted on raising Mokuba and I himself instead of handing us over to the butler or maid after our step-father disappeared. He's sort of a control freak, in that respect. And I want to show him I can handle myself."

"Er," Joey coughed. "But...it didn't look like you handled yourself at all back there. You just let them do whatever."

Alice bristled. "Look, if I could do something about it, I would! But I can't. So, maybe if I let them get bored with me they'll just go away."

"That's hardly logical," Yugi said.

"Well, what do you think I should do?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Me? I'd defend them against bigger bullies and then they'd become my best friends," he said with a pointed glance at Joey and Tristan, who both looked away comically.

"_Right..._" Alice laughed, "Flawless plan."

Yugi laughed as well. "Okay, I can see how that might not work with you. But still," he became serious, "You should stand up to them."

Alice frowned. "I...don't know how."

"Easy!" Joey stood up and flexed his muscles. "Tell 'em your friends with Joey Wheeler! Then they'll think twice about messin with ya!"

"That just might work! They wouldn't dare mess with a friend of a psycho!" Tea teased.

"Who ya callin psychic?"

Tea rolled her eyes. "_Psycho_. Not psychic."

"Whateveh."

Alice laughed again. She hadn't felt so accepted into a group so quickly before. They didn't even care she was Seto's sister, well, not after the initial shock. Could this be it? Maybe, after all, she could have friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Alice...

Alice wearily opened her eyes. What she saw astounded her. She was standing in nothingness, gliding effortlessly in the darkness of space. Looking around, she could see the deep recesses of astral cloud and smoke, swirling in deep magentas and blues. It was beautiful.

"Alessandra Kaiba."

Alice whirled around, coming face to face with an eerie man. He wore old brown robes with some sort of strange Egyptian looking ankh around his neck. Over his head was a white turban and his eyes were a mystical blue. They were nearly listless.

"Y-Yeah? Who are you?" she answered.

"I am Shadi, the Keeper of the Seven Millennium Items."

Alice gulped. "Well, fancy title, that."

"This is no time for pleasantries. Please, I have much to tell you and have little time to do so." Shadi stated.

"Quick question, first."

Shadi didn't appear amused (in fact, he didn't appear...like anything! He was entirely placid). "Ask."

"Am I...dreaming?" Alice asked, looking around the space.

"You are asleep, yes. When humans dream, they are more easily connected to the spiritual world. This is how I am able to communicate with you. There are others, however, who have natural spiritual awareness and do not need to be asleep to see. You are a fortunate exception, however time is prudent and entering your unconscious mind is much easier than trying to manifest in the physical world."

Alice blinked. "Wow, did not see that explanation coming."

There was a pause.

Alice coughed. "So, you have some sort of message for me? And lemme tell you something, if it's from Nana Fergus, you can tell her I am _very_ disappointed in her choices concerning her will. I mean, really? She gave everything she owned to our retarded cousin in Algeria! Does that sound logical to you? No! Because it's not!"

"This message does not concern the dead. However, it very well can. For if you do not heed my words, the very world will be in grave peril!"

"Peril? What do you mean?"

"Listen closely, Alessandra."

"Alice."

Shadi was once again not amused. "Are you listening?"

Alice pouted. "Yes."

"Good, now I will try to be as clear as I can. In ancient times, Egyptian Pharaohs played a dangerous game of shadow and darkness. They summoned spirit monsters from their sleep to do to battle either for fame or power. One nameless Pharaoh stopped the Shadow Games and in the process sealed himself away in one of the Seven Millennium Items. You have come into contact with the item and as such, you have awoken inside of you the dormant ancient power from your previous life in Egypt."

"Whoa, whoa! What?"

"You are a Keeper, just as I am. Just as the young boy who holds the Millennium Item. I hold the Seven Items. He holds the greatest Millennium Item of all seven. And you, Alessandra, you hold the Heart of Anubis." Shadi said.

Alice blanched. "Um... What?"

"The Heart of Anubis."

"Yeah, I heard you. But who the hell did I come into contact with who has the 'greatest Millennium Item of all'?" she asked, making air-quotes with her fingers.

Shadi seemed to sigh (if an apparition could) and waved his hand in the empty space before them. The celestial fog waved and rippled until a clear picture of Yugi could be seen. Alice gasped.

"I-I don't understand!"

"The boy is unaware of the power of the item as of right now. But soon, he will have to tap into it's energies to save the world. You must accompany him on this quest. Tomorrow, you will receive a package from Maximillion Pegasus, the creator of the Duel Monsters game. You will be invited to a tournament hosted by Pegasus on his private island: Duelist Kingdom. You must accept."

Alice stared at the image of Yugi before wetting her dry lips. "Okay," her voice had gone hoarse, "Okay, but what's this Heart of Anubis? Is it another item, like what Yugi has?"

Shadi seemed to hesitate - which hardly seemed reassuring. Alice floated closer to him. "Shadi? Answer my question." As an after thought she added, "Please."

Finally, he said, "The Heart of Anubis is an item, but it is not. It is not one of the seven, but it's power can rival that of any of them. It is in your soul, Alessandra Kaiba. For your soul is wrong."

"What? My soul is wrong? What does that even mean?" Alice yelled.

"There was never supposed to be a third Kaiba sibling living in this era. Your past self altered the flow of history, and has therefore altered the future. Your future." Shadi said.

"W-What? How can you say that! How can you say I was never supposed to be born!" she spat angrily, "What do you know? You can't know for sure what's supposed to happen or what is meant to happen. The future is in flux and can change. Our choices change it every single day!"

"Exactly, Alessandra Kaiba. The choice you made nearly five thousand years ago has altered your future in present day Domino. Your spirit was supposed to die, but instead, it has been remade in the form you are now."

"Wait. S-So I lived in ancient Egypt five thousand years ago? What choice are you talking about?" Alice felt her head reeling.

"The choice was this: whether or not to bind your soul to the Pharaoh and create the Heart of Anubis. You choose to stay with him, trapped for eternity. To one day aid him in his greatest hour of need. This," Shadi said, "Was a mistake."

"A mistake? How?"

"The Pharaoh will not recognize you let alone remember his own name. And you have no memory of your previous life in ancient Egypt living alongside him. Your sacrifice was in vain. But you have the opportunity now to finish what you began all of those years ago and help Yugi Motou, bearer of the Pharaoh's spirit, in what he has made to be his destiny. For it is your destiny."

Alice gulped. "So... my brothers, Seto and Mokuba... I was never supposed to be a part of them."

Shadi said nothing for a minute, then supplied, "No. But you are now, as you were in ancient times. It was only natural for your spirit to seek them out in their reincarnated forms."

Alice hung silently in the air for some time, mulling over it all. "How am I supposed to help the Pharaoh if I don't remember anything about my previous life?"

"You shall awaken the Heart of Anubis and revive your past self." Shadi stated.

"I'm going to...what?"

"Fulfill your destiny." Shadi stretched forth his hand, which held his ankh. "This is the Millennium Key. With it, I can unlock the spirit of your former self and with it, her memories, from the Heart of Anubis. Do you accept?"

Alice gulped. Was she really buying into this? She knew what her brother would say, "It's all fairytale nonsense, Alice. Don't believe one word of it." But then, if it was all just nonsense, why did she feel like it was so vitally important? The tug of eagerness had a fast hold on her and it was quickly pulling her in. She looked up at Shadi, hoping he'd give her reason to sway. He only floated motionlessly in the void. Sucking in a brave breath, Alice nodded.

"Okay, I accept."

Shadi wasted no time and lifted the Millennium Key to her head. With a swift turn to the right, Alice felt her head explode with images and visions of Egypt 5,000 years ago. It swirled around her in a dizzying display and before she knew what was happening, it all stopped.

In the stillness, there before her appeared the strangest pendent she had ever seen. It was such a bright golden color that it nearly blinded Alice upon first gaze. The chain shined a brilliant sheen, glinting in the hollow space. At its end was the "heart of anubis" itself. In actuality, it wasn't even a "heart" at all. It was a medallion with an engraving of anubis etched into the smooth plain. Above it was the now familiar image of the Millennium eye, though small it was almost like a trademark on the pendant.

"All you must do is reach out and take it. Fulfill your destiny and reignite your purpose." Shadi said.

Alice stretched forth her hand and just as the cool metal of the chain grazed over the tips of her fingers, the world went black. 

When Alice woke up the next morning, she couldn't be more happy when she realized it was Saturday. She rolled over and slung her arm over the side of the bed. The cold metal chain, which was woven around her hand, slowly slid from her lazy grip and fell onto the floor. Startled by it, Alice lifted her head and peaked over the edge of the mattress. Laying on her deep blue carpet was the Heart of Anubis. She gasped, realizing Shadi wasn't just a cheese-before-bed induced dream.

She carefully picked up the charm and sat cross-legged on her bed as she stared at the intricate detailing of the necklace. It was beautiful, no doubt, but she didn't see how she was supposed to help Yugi with just this. Wasn't she supposed to regain memories or some such, too? Alice didn't remember anything about Egypt or her past life, in fact, she sort of felt more clueless than usual.

"Well, that's just stupid." Alice sighed.

Suddenly, a voice said, "You're not going to get any answers by staring at a piece of old jewelry."

Alice shrieked and fell off of her bed as she saw an apparition looking much like herself sitting on her blanket.

"W-Who are you?" Alice asked, terrified.

The girl smiled down at her and it was then that Alice realized that this ghost-girl just didn't look like her a little bit, she looked like her a lot. Down to a tee, except for her eyes. Her eyes held mysterious mischievousness deep within their wise pools of blue. There was a wealth of knowledge hidden behind her dark lashes, an ancient knowledge of magic and mysticism.

"My name is Sanura. What may I call you?" Even her voice was mystical.

Alice stuttered, "Um, I'm Alice. Alessandra Kaiba. But I prefer Alice."

"Well, Alice, it seems as if you and I share something in common." Sanura said.

"Yeah, what's that?" Alice asked, hugging the sheets which had fallen with her from her bed.

"If you come up from your seat on the floor, I'd be more than happy to tell you." Sanura said rather condescendingly, yet in her eyes there was a sparkle of mirth. It was almost as if she were amused by Alice.

Alice obeyed and hesitantly crawled back up onto her bed. She shifted uneasily in the presence of Sanura.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Alice. In essence, we are the same person." Sanura said, noticing Alice's fidgeting.

"Say what?" Alice choked.

"Didn't Shadi explain this to you?" Sanura asked with an identical scarlet eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Um, he said something about helping a Pharaoh stave off the end of the world or something. But other than that..." she glanced down at the necklace in her hands, "Well, he did say something about awakening my past memories from the time I lived in Ancient Egypt."

"And so you did." Sanura said.

"I don't understand. Who are you?" Alice pressed.

Sanura shook her head, her red hair falling over her shoulders. Alice noticed about her as well, that her hair was a smidgeon longer than her own. Just by a few inches, but longer nonetheless.

"I've already told you. My name is Sanura."

"Yeah," Alice scoffed, "I don't need a name. I want facts. Who are you? What are you doing here in my room? What are you?"

Sanura smiled sadly. "You truly cannot figure it out on your own, can you?"

Alice huffed, "Don't talk to me like you're so much smarter! Look, I don't know what's going on, what I'm supposed to do, I just had a freaky dream about fulfilling my long lost destiny and here you are being all enigmatic and unhelpful! Cut me some slack."

Sanura grinned, rather enjoying the younger girl's spirit. "Alice," she said, shutting Alice up instantly, "I...am you."

Alice's mouth slowly closed and her eyes narrowed. The pause was unbearable.

"Alice...?" Sanura asked, concerned.

Alice continued to glare at Sanura. "Prove it."

Sanura blinked, then rolled her eyes. "It's not so simple. I am not you with your current memories. I am me from the past. You are me in the future."

"Bullshit."

Sanura grinned again. "My, what a tongue I have in the future!"

"No, no, no. This isn't right. Shadi said-" Alice began.

"Ooh, Shadi this, Shadi that. Shadi tells you what he wants you to know. He is notorious for giving half-truths." Sanura supplied with a flippant wave of the hand. She glanced back at Alice and instantly frowned when she saw the depressed expression on her face. "What is it?"

Alice shook her head. "Nothing."

Sanura snorted. "Mhmm. Now what is it really?"

Alice's shoulders slumped and she looked over at the apparition of Sanura with a bit lip. "It's just something Shadi said."

Sanura blinked. "What did he say?"

"He said," she paused and felt the heavy weight of the following words, "He said that my soul isn't...right. That I wasn't supposed to be reborn like Seto."

"Seto?" Sanura asked.

"My, er, our brother. Maybe he had a different name in Egypt, like how you have a different name than mine." Alice answered.

"The brother I had was called Seth. He was the high priest and a loyal servant of the Pharaoh. Does that help in any way?" Sanura offered.

"Nope. Maybe when we see him next."

Sanura smiled. "Sure. But you must also think, Alice, that perhaps not all is known to even Shadi. He would very much like to think he does, but I'm sure the gods keep their own secrets. You have a purpose, as do I. And we can accomplish it together."

"Really?" A hopeful Alice wondered.

Sanura nodded. "Really."

Alice began to feel infinitely better. She looked back at Sanura. "So, lemme get this straight. I'm the reincarnated version of you and you've been stuck in this necklace for the last 5,000 years?"

"That seems to be the situation, yes."

"And you, er, we helped...are going to help...the Pharaoh...er, Yugi, with his destiny?" Alice scratched her head a moment. "Gosh, tenses are difficult."

Sanura laughed; a pleasant sound to Alice's ears. "More or less," she chuckled.

"Right. Not hard at all, then." Alice said sarcastically.

"Shouldn't give us much trouble," Sanura shrugged with a wry grin.

A shout from outside interrupted the smirk the two twin souls shared.

"Alice! Come here! Quick!" cried a distraught Mokuba.

"Who's that?" Sanura whispered.

"Our little brother. Come on." Alice tripped as she struggled with putting on her slippers and tossed on a robe over her pajamas. She grabbed her new pair of glasses (which Seto didn't know she had gotten yet...though when he gets the credit card statement Alice would worry about which excuse she'd make) and hopped out of her bedroom and down the hall to where Mokuba was standing.

He was arguing with Seto, who was packing up his things from his home office. Alice looked around, bewildered.

"What's going on?" she asked, gaining the attention of her brothers.

"Seto's leaving!" Mokuba threw an accusing finger towards their eldest sibling.

"Leaving?" Alice looked up at Seto, who was keen to not make eye contact with her. "Leaving where?"

"Just leaving." Seto stated.

"What? Just like that? You're gonna pack up and go without any explanation whatsoever?" Alice's hands flew to her hips as her voice grew louder. "Where do you think you're going? Do you have any clue about this at all?"

"I need time to think." Was what he supplied.

"Think about what? For Christ's sake, Seto! You have responsibilities! You have a company to run, you have a family to take care of! You can't just abandon it all on a whim." Mokuba looked up at his sister with the utmost appreciation, glad she wasn't directing one of her infamous scoldings at him. He looked back at Seto, hoping that Alice was enough to get through to him.

"You don't understand!" he objected.

"What don't I understand, hmm? Please, enlighten me." She snapped.

"Seto lost a duel to Yugi Motou," Mokuba informed her.

Alice groaned out loud. "Oh my God, so you lost one card game, big deal! It's not the end of the world."

Seto shook his head and angrily shoved past her, briefcase in hand. "You don't get it! Something happened to me. I need to rethink everything I thought I knew." He took two steps out of the door and glanced back at her. "Take care of Mokuba."

"I can take care of myself!" Mokuba called after him. The only response he got was an overwhelming silence.

Alice pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a migraine creep up.

"That was Seth," Sanura said, appearing beside her. Alice nodded, showing she had heard. She was sure Mokuba probably couldn't see Sanura and she certainly didn't want to look like a crazy person talking to herself.

"Alice?" Mokuba tugged at her sleeve.

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"He's going to come back, right?"

Alice's heart melted. She knelt down and pulled her brother into a hug. "Of course he will. He just has to sort some stuff out. He'll be back before you know it."

"I hope so."

"Me too."

Somebody cleared their throat in the doorway. Alice stood and noticed Roland standing there with a package in his hands. "Miss Kaiba, a package for you."  
>Alice received the parcel and looked at the fancy label in the corner. "It's from Industrial Illusions."<p>

"Seriously?" Mokuba stood on his tiptoes to catch a glance at the name. "Cool! What do you think it's about?"

Alice's face hardened. "I think I have a good idea." Alice glanced at Roland. "Thank's, Roland."

He bowed and left.

Mokuba noticed the new necklace his sister wore around her neck. "Alice, I never noticed that necklace before. When did you get it? It looks pretty."

Alice forced a smile. "Oh, it just turned up, actually."

"Oh, that happens a lot to my xbox games. I lose them and they just appear again," he said smartly.

Alice smirked and promptly left the room. She headed back to her bedroom and unwrapped the package. Inside was an invitation to Pegasus's Island tournament: Duelist Kingdom, and a glove with three star chips. She was torn a moment. She knew she had to go to Duelist Kingdom, but at the same time she couldn't leave Mokuba here all alone right after Seto had.

"What are you thinking?" Sanura asked, hovering behind her.

"If I should go."

Sanura cocked her head to the side, misunderstanding the hesitation. "It is our destiny. We must go."

Alice sighed. "Destiny be damned. I have a little brother to take care of."

"He said it himself that he can take care of himself." Sanura said.

Alice raised a skeptical brow at Sanura. "He's eleven. He doesn't know how to make a ham sandwich."

Sanura didn't reply but did shrug carelessly.

"Alice?" Mokuba peaked into her bedroom from behind her door. "Can I see what you got from Industrial Illusions?"

"Sure, kiddo. Plant a spot." She patted her bed. Mokuba crawled up and sat beside her.

"Ooh, what is it?" he asked, his eyes scanning over the glove and star pieces.

"An invitation to take part in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament," Alice said, eying Mokuba critically.

"Wow, awesome! Seriously? You're going, right? Tell me you're going." Mokuba said in nearly one breath.

"You...want me to go?" Alice asked cautiously.

"Um, duh!" Mokuba made a face. It seemed he was vexed that Alice dared to consider not going.

"But you'd be here by yourself. And after Seto leaving..."

"Alice, I'll be fine. Roland will watch out for me. Besides, I know Seto would want you to join the tournament." Mokuba smiled cheekily.

Alice sighed. "It's going to be strange playing without him. I don't know if I could."

"Pfft, come on Alice! You're a pretty good duelist. Not as good as Seto, but you got a chance if he's not going."

"Yeah? What about Yugi Motou?"

Mokuba scratched his head nervously. "Eh, well... I'm sure you'll do fine. Besides, I can handle everything here just fine, promise!"

Alice gave him a disbelieving glance, but nodded anyway. "Okay. Looks like I'm going to Duelist Kingdom!" 

**AN: Okay, so there's the two first chapters. You're welcome to review should the urge arise. Thank you! **


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